SAN JOSE — Coco Gauff was giving her on-court interview after beating Naomi Osaka in straight sets and referred to Osaka and herself as “the future” of tennis.
Gauff then paused and reassessed: “Actually, I don’t know — the future is probably already here.”
It sure felt “here” in San Jose on Thursday night, as Gauff defeated Osaka 6-4, 6-4 in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,250 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.
A crowd that had a noticeable preference for Osaka instead saw the 18-year-old American put on a show. Gauff landed her first serve 58% of the time and then won those points an astonishing 85% of the time.
Gauff showed some sterling defense on the night, breaking Osaka three times and winning 29 points when returning serve. In the second set, Gauff won five games in a row to build what felt like an insurmountable lead — and could have made the evening a quick one.
It would have been an understandable result for Osaka. It was just her second match since losing in the first round of the French Open in late May, as she missed the entire grass court season battling an Achilles injury. The 24-year-old even admitted after she won her first round match in three sets on Tuesday that she didn’t care if she won that match, as she was more focused on finding the fun in her sport again.
Even in defeat, there were moments where the currently No. 41-ranked player in the world clearly was enjoying herself. But the takeaway that could scare the rest of the players on tour is the fight she showed after giving away the two breaks in the second set.
Osaka dug herself a 5-1 hole, then went down 0-40 to give Gauff three match points, but Osaka fought all the way back to deuce. She then gave a fourth match point away, but recovered again and won the game.
With Gauff perhaps a bit flustered, Osaka got her first break of the match to make it 5-3, only to give away three straight points again to put her back in a 0-40 hole again. But Osaka once again defended all three match points, got the advantage and nailed an ace to take the game and give a very excited yell with it.
“It’s very rare that someone comes back from 40-love twice, but it’s Naomi,” Gauff said. “I think that that just shows how much of a fight she has. She could have easily threw in the towel and she didn’t.”
And, considering that Osaka said on Tuesday that she admires Gauff’s mentality, the push to come from behind and win those 0-40 games can be seen as a showing of her own mental fortitude.
“When I was playing the match just now, I realize that I have been letting people call me mentally weak for so long that I forgot who I was. I realize that, if you watch my matches, I do that type of stuff,” Osaka said of the second set comebacks. “I lost the match today, but I really feel confident with who I am.
And in terms of looking ahead at the next grand slam, the U.S. Open at the end of the month: “It made me very excited just to see the potential because I’ve actually never won three games in a row when my back was against the wall like that.”
I’m really at peace with myself. I didn’t think I would ever feel like this, it’s kinda fascinating lol
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 5, 2022
In Gauff’s second attempt to serve for the match, she continued to force Osaka to test her athleticism. And, on her eighth match point, she finally finished off the former No. 1 player in the world.
Ranked No. 11 in the world, Gauff will play in the quarterfinals on Friday against the No. 4-ranked Paula Badosa on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the final match of the daytime session.
With the win, Gauff evens up her all-time series against Osaka at two apiece. It’s not hard to envision a world where these two face each other another dozen times or more — and perhaps even in Grand Slam finals, too.
But the basis for the future between these two is not hatred.
“Our competitiveness is going to be something that will last for a long time, and I think people really enjoyed seeing it because we do have a lot of respect for each other on and off the court and it shows when we play,” Gauff said. “I think that’s the type of match that people want. Sometimes, certain players dislike each other and hate each other, and people look forward to that. But I think people look forward to matches more when players have respect for each other.”
Osaka was even more complimentary of Gauff, saying she is “very much a star” before revealing something previously unknown: when Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open to take care of her mental health, it was Gauff who was the first player to message Osaka to show support.
“I have never forgotten that,” Osaka said. “I have a lot of respect for her. She’s a really great player and I just want to see her grow and flourish.”
The fans in San Jose seemed to understand the gravity of the showdown and feel that competitive respect on Thursday, jamming the grounds at San Jose State well before the match began and filing into their seats right at the start of the match. Gauff seemed dearly appreciative of the love shown to herself and Osaka — both for their on-court play and for their outspoken ways off the court, too.
I’m glad that you guys actually support us and support what we say and care about us, no matter what,” Gauff said. “This is one of the best crowds I’ve played in [front of]. I’ve said all week, it’s a smaller stadium, but it feels so loud.
“This is a reason why I play tennis and why I love doing this, week-in and week-out.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com